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Dana Atwood-Blaine

TL 896

December 11, 2006

Tablet PCs in Education:

An Initial Review of Literature

Introduction

In November 2002, Microsoft and a number of hardware companies launched theTablet PC. The Tablet PC is a fully functional portable computer that differs from thelaptop computer primarily in two important ways: a smaller size that significantlyincreases mobility and the pen-based input device that allows users to interfacenaturally and intuitively with the computer just as they would with paper and pencil.

Teachers and instructors are being held more accountable for an ever-increasing setof standards and acceptable levels of student achievement. Technological literacy isa relative newcomer to our modern academic standards, but education agencies thataim to prepare students for success and competence in the 21st century cannotignore its importance. Indeed, efforts to effectively integrate technology intoeducation require a hefty portion of the educational institution’s annual budget. Therecently developed Tablet PC may indeed be a much better fit for education thanprevious technology deployments. Perhaps this new pen-based user interface is thetechnological invention that will make teachers’ work more efficient and effectivewhile increasing student engagement, motivation, and achievement.

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The literature review that follows looks at what is happening with Tablet PCs ineducation, both at the K-12 and university levels. What are the positive effects ofTablet PC integration? Have there been negative effects? What do instructors andstudents think about this new technology? What does it take to make thistechnology work seamlessly in a classroom environment? What makes a Tablet PCmore or less appropriate than a laptop or

desktop computer in the classroom? Howdo Tablet PCs effect learning?

Because the Tablet PC is such a recent addition to the educational technology scene,there is a lack of large-scale data. Most data available on the subject comes fromcase studies and other small-scale qualitative research. However, once one knowswhere to look, there is sufficient data available to construct a general picture of howthis technology has been implemented, what the effects have been, and what thepossibilities might be for future Tablet PC integration. In addition to an overall viewof the Tablet PC in education, we will also gain insight from some interestinganecdotes and specific case details along the way.

Review

Tablets vs. Laptops

Tablets are full-function computers just like laptop computers. Convertible Tabletseven have a keyboard in addition to the pen-based interface. The drawbacks toTablets when compared with laptops are few and the benefits are many. One of themajor drawbacks is cost. Currently,a Tablet PC can cost nearly twice as much as acomparable laptop computer. Some consider screen size to be a drawback, but theTablet’s smaller screen size and lighter weight (approximately 4 lbs vs. a laptop’s 7lbs) are precisely the features that contribute to its increased mobility and3

portability, the most commonly mentioned feature for the purchase of a Tablet PC.Being lighter and smaller in size is also considered more appropriate for the younger,smaller people. [26] Slate-type Tablets are considered more durable than laptopsand can even come equipped with rubber bumpers to guard against the inevitable

knocks it will sustain in a primary classroom. One school even reported making theirTablets weatherproof by slipping them into plastic zip wallets. [26] That’s notsomething one could do with a laptop. The Tablet’s battery life has been woefullyinadequate in the past, only getting a maximum of 3 hours, and usually less beforeceasing network capabilities. However, the newer Tablets can keep a chargedbattery up to 7 hours. Users have also complained about the screen’s lack ofbrightness and problems with glare. These issues have been addressed in the latestversions of the machine with enhanced, no-glare screens that can even be usedquite effectively outdoors. Broken or lost, untethered pens have posed a problem inmany K-12 classrooms. [23] However, 6 out of 7 primary schools saw the pen as asignificant advantage over other input devices, particularly the mouse or track pad.[26] The Tabletalso offers improved handwriting recognition and speech to textcapabilities. The pen-based interface is more natural and intuitive than a keyboardor mouse for most users, but especially for children and those working extensivelywith diagrams and formulas. The keyboard, a descendent of the industrial agetypewriter, is faster, more efficient, and designed for productivity; whereas theTablet, with its pen and portability, is designed for creativity and natural expression.

Software

The innovation of the

Tablet PC would be utterly inaccessible to educators andstudents without specific software designed to take advantage of its unique features.Microsoft is responsible for the Tablet operating system: Windows XP Tablet PCEditions 2003 and 2005. The 2003 edition was the most common operating system4

in the studies reviewed here. The updated 2005 operating system has significantlyimproved handwriting recognition. The 2005 edition also has speech recognitioncapabilities. The user can dictate to the Tablet, which converts the speech directly totext. Beyond the OS, Microsoft has enhanced its entire Office Suite to make use ofdigital ink and the pen-based interface of Tablet PCs. Microsoft also offers theTablet-specific programs Journal and OneNote.Journal is a basic note-takingapplication that can capture handwritten notes and drawings and converthandwritten notes to text. OneNote is a more powerful note-taking program thatfully supports searching of handwritten and text notes and the inclusionof charts,diagrams, graphs, and drawings on the same “page”. In addition, the audiocapabilities of OneNote combined with the Tablet PC allow the user to recordlectures, presentations, or group discussions that are synced with the notes,enabling quick reference to any part of the audio segment. Microsoft also offers freedownloads of many Tablet-specific software accessories such as PowerToys and theEducation pack that include such applications as Drawing Animator, MusicComposition, Writing Practice,Ink Flash Cards, and Equation Writer among many,many more.

Besides Microsoft products, there are a several other commercially available softwarepackages developed specifically for the Tablet. Two software packages that standout in the research are DyKnow Vision and, to a lesser extent, GoBinder from Agilix.GoBinder is the primary competitor with Microsoft’s OneNote. This software is adigital binder that includes organized notes for all courses, an interactive calendarfeature, and a tasks (assignments) management tool. In one survey of 25 studentsat a private secondary school, sixteen indicated that GoBinder had improved theirability to keep track of assignments over using the paper assignment book; fourteenfelt that they more reliably turned in

assignments than before they used GoBinder;5

and fifteen also stated that they were more likely to have GoBinder in class thantheir paper scheduler. Twenty-one of the respondents felt that GoBinder was easy touse and six felt that their grades had improved from the use of GoBinder. [20]

DyKnow Vision is an innovative product that has received much attention throughoutthe higher education arena, and to a lesser extent, at the K-12 level as well. In fact,in this review, six out of the 17 universities that had deployed Tablets were alsousing DyKnow Vision to change the dynamic of student/instructor interaction in theclassroom or lecture hall. [4] DyKnow’s main features are the ability to transmitcontent from the instructor’s Tablet to the student Tablets, poll the class, retrieve,display, and/or replay stroke-by-stroke student work. The instructor can also share“whiteboard” control with the students, view thumbnails of student screens, “lock”student pens, and block distracting applications. Amongthe primary benefits ofDyKnow Vision at the K-12 level (supported by interview data and classroomobservations) are high levels of student engagement, better learning and retention ofconcepts by students, effective support of student-centered instruction

for teachers,fewer discipline problems, higher rates of homework completion, and fewerabsences. [5] DyKnow Vision encourages student engagement as the instructor isable to see and display student panels at will. Students are also provided someanonymity when sending content to the instructor or shared screen, which decreasesapprehension and encourages participation. [3] In one survey of 47 students whowere enrolled in a DyKnow Vision enhanced general psychology class, 70% indicatedthat the softwarehad a positive effect on active learning. The software was alsoperceived as easy to use and students reported enjoying the increased interactionwith professors and other students that resulted from the use of DyKnow Vision. [12]

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Finally, Richard Anderson et al at the University of Washington has developed twoclassroom presentation applications that have proven to be very effective in thecollege classroom and lecture hall. Classroom Presenter shares some of the featureswith DyKnow Vision, such as the

ability to send and receive content to/from studentTablets, usually designed around a PowerPoint slide format. However, a uniquefeature to Classroom Presenter is the students’ ability to anonymously provide real-time feedback to the instructor on their understanding. A student can annotate aninstructor’s slide with a question or request for more explanation and wirelesslysubmit this to the instructor’s Tablet. Because the student view and instructor viewof the presentation are separate, only the instructor sees the request and can chooseto respond within the context of the lecture. Overall, students responded verypositively to the Classroom Presenter system. In one end of course survey, 43 outof 44 students reported that the system had a positive effect on their learningexperience and 40 out of 44 felt that seeing other student solutions had a positiveeffect on their learning. Several students commented positively on the fact thatstudent submissions are anonymous, “It gives equal voice to the quiet person andthe one that talks a lot” and “The best thing about this system is it encourages thestudents to actually work on problems…Knowing that my solution will appear on thescreen, but will also remain anonymous, encourages me to participate,

but at thesame time reduces the worry of getting it wrong.” [1] Other features of theClassroom Presenter system include the ability to “shrink” a slide so that a largewriting space appears around the slide, the ability to “layer” ink on a slide, and“instructor mode” objects only visible to the instructor (e.g. notes, reminders,questions to ask, etc.) An outgrowth of Classroom Presenter, Ubiquitous Presenter,includes the same features as Classroom Presenter but can be used to presentmaterial over the Internet. Both applications are free for download: ClassroomPresenter can be found at Richard Anderson’s University of Washington website and7

Ubiquitous Presenter can be found at the University of California San Diego’swebsite. [2, 29, 30]

Infrastructure

Use of the Tablet PC in an educational setting is only going to be as functional as thewireless network to which it is connected. An existing robust, high-speed wirelessnetwork and a reliable server make the integration of Tablet PCs far more productiveand less frustrating. Unfortunately, many of the K-12 schools for which Tabletdeployment case studies are available were also simultaneously installing theirwireless networks for the first time. Indeed, the introduction of Tablets was the firstforay into the world of mobile computing for many of these schools. Most of theschools studied had relied on shared desktop computer labs for all of theirtechnology integrated lessons before the introduction of the Tablets. Because ofthese factors, much of the data on K-12 Tablet integration is more representative ofa transition period than of the beginning of educational innovation. [26]

In addition to the network and server, a data projector is an indispensable tool forfully utilizing the powerof technology in the classroom. Some teachers haveindicated a preference for a wireless projector that each wireless Tablet could “talk”to independently. Another, perhaps more robust, option, employed by RichardAnderson at the University of Washington, is to maintain a desktop computer wiredto the data projector. The instructor’s Tablet communicates wirelessly with thedesktop computer and the student Tablets communicate wirelessly with theinstructor’s Tablet. [1,2] In this way, student Tablet screens can still be projectedonto the shared projected screen.

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The most effective classroom deployment of Tablet PCs includes a Tablet for theinstructor as well as Tablets for individual or pairs of students. A more detaileddiscussion of Tablet sharingwill follow in the next section. Because of the number ofTablets normally utilized in the classroom setting, provisions must be made forcharging the Tablet batteries. This is particularly an issue at the K-12 level as mostuniversity courses seldom last longer than 3 hours. Although the latest models ofTablets have a much improved battery life (i.e. up to 7 hours), the earlier versionsare only able to hold a charge for up to 3 hours. This has caused many problems inschools with too few power outlets. A charging cart must be available and a battery-charging regimen must be put into place.

For the purposes of this review, the two most common deployment strategies will becalled “ownership” and “sharing”. In an ownership scenario, Tablets are eitherassigned to or owned by an individual instructor or student who carries the Tabletwith them from class to class. In the sharing scenario, there is a set of Tablets,usually stored in a mobile cart, available for checkout by instructors to use with theirclasses. Ownership increases familiarity and confidence with the technology andresults in more handwritten note taking during whole class sessions. [23] Also,ownership relieves the user of being obligated to save work to a server, which can bea problematic task for younger students. When Tablets are shared, lost workbecomes a much bigger problem and is extremely frustrating to students. Inaddition, when Tablets are shared, they are often not booked or not used duringlarge portions of a “booked”

lesson. Studies have shown that the ownership type ofdeployment is most likely to lead to a transformation of the curriculum. [23]

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Pen-Based Interface

The pen is particularly useful for children, for students learning to handwrite in anylanguage, and

for students and instructors who need to work heavily with diagramsand formulas (e.g. in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

For children, the pen allows a truer, more personal record of student’s work. Thestudent’s personality is evident in the work. Papers can be easily lost, destroyed, ordisposed of, but a digital portfolio is an excellent way to document and share studentgrowth and work history with parents. With the Tablet and a pen, a student’shandwriting can be analyzedstroke-by-stroke, enabling the instructor to evaluatethe student’s technique and offer suggestions for improvement. Children find iteasier to write and do more of it with the Tablet. In addition, it is easier for youngstudents to erase, change, move text around, and edit their work. [19] One studyfound that when children used the Tablet, they wrote as much, if not more than thechildren using pen and paper. In addition, they appeared to write neater andconcentrate more than the other children and to

produce stories that were of asimilar standard to the rest of the class. [21] Little has been done at the K-12 levelto study how pen-based technology might influence math and science learning.

Unlike at the pre-college level, higher education has grasped on to the potential forusing pen-based technologies in the STEM fields. Out of 19 studies that examinedthe use of the Tablet PC in higher education, 13 of them focused on deployment inSTEM courses. Six were in computer science, two in engineering,two inmathematics, two in geology, and one in technical communications. [4] The pen wasextremely useful in these courses for drawing diagrams and flow charts (e.g. binarytrees in computer science) [3], working through mathematical formulas (e.g. digital

to data analysis and interpretation tools (e.g. GIS and GPS in field geology). [13, 17]Particularly in math, using the Tablet to capture the actual process of workingthrough a formula with the pen is an innovative and effective use of technology.When students are studying outside of class, the ability to replay the process offersgreater learning potential than the formulas written on a static book page. [10]

Pedagogical Significance

The innovative (to mobile computing!) pen-based user-interface and the increasedmobility of the Tablet PC bring a set of brand new features and a fresh combinationof capabilities to the technology enabled classroom or lecture hall. This section willexplore how the Tablet has had a positive impact on active learning, collaborativelearning, student/instructor interaction, and the facilitation of feedback both fromstudent to instructor and vice versa.

Classroom Engagement

Tablets have shown themselves to be quite effective at increasing studentengagement in class. The knowledge that their work may be displayed on theshared screen and recognized by the instructor motivates students to be wellprepared for class. In a student questionnaire that produced 237 responses, 71% ofthe respondents agreed that knowing they had the potential to share their work withthe class had increased their motivation, and 53% thought that seeing the work ofothers had had a strong positive influence on them. [9] In addition, the anonymity ofsubmissions encourages students to contribute to the class discourse without fear ofexposing their lack of understanding to their peers or instructor. Beyond that,students were more inclined to ask questionswhen they realized that they were notthe only ones having difficulty with the material. [9] In another study, one instructor11

commented on the immediate “risk-free” environment created by the Tablets. Ahigh school art teacher, he felt that the Tablet actually had a positive effect on thequality of work students were able to do as they felt free to go backwards, erase, oreven start over on their work. [28] Others felt that the pace of learning hadimproved and that more cross-curricular work was now possible. The richness andvariety of content that was now available to the class also had a positive impact onstudent engagement. [26]

Feedback

Feedback is a critical piece for both students and teachers who hope to be successfulin learning and teaching. The Tablet PC simplifies and facilitates feedback for bothparties in the learning enterprise. By polling the class, posing questions or problemsto be worked out in class on the Tablet and remotely observing student’s screens,instructors can gain real-time information about how much their students understandand what difficulties they may be experiencing. Likewise, with the ability toanonymously ask a question or request more explanation on a topic, a student isable to give valuable feedback to the

instructor on the level of understanding in theclass. The instructor is then free to adjust the lesson “on the fly” based on thisunderstanding.

The Tablets greatly facilitate and enhance the feedback that students receive fromtheir instructors as well. Guidelines and criteria alone are not enough to helplearners understand what is expected of them; “learners will only come tounderstand the statements by seeing them exemplified in the form of actual piecesof students’ work.” [31] When instructors

display (anonymous) student work on theshared screen, the student whose work is being displayed receives immediate,authentic feedback and the other students are able to benefit by seeing and12

discussing an actual student work sample. With a Tablet, an instructor is able to walkaround the classroom and record observations and assessment. One study reportedthat eleven out of fifteen K-8 teachers used their Tablets in this way during the firstthree months of Tablet integration. [19] When teachers are able to use digital ink forgrading, many benefits emerge. Teachers are able to provide far more rapidfeedback than is possible when work must be manually collected, graded, andreturned to the student in person. One teacher was observed to print off a copy

of anassessment a few minutes after a student’s presentation ended and then hand it tothe student. The student appreciated the quick response, and indeed, the instructorcould have returned the feedback electronically if class time had ended. [19] With

digital work and grading, the originals remain intact and a portfolio of work developsas the entire history of the process is on the computer rather than scattered acrossvarious sheets of paper. [28] Teachers are freed from lugging home stacks of papers

and notebooks. Work can be graded and returned anytime. Some teachers actuallyadded GIF “stickers” to young students’ digital work, just as they would have to worksubmitted on paper. [19]

Collaborative Learning

Tablets are designed as peer-to-peer network devices. Students and instructors canshare work easily, augment, edit, and collaborate. Group concept mapping can bealmost effortless with a Tablet and wireless data projector. Every student cancontribute directly, or the instructor can draw in

students’ suggestions. Whencollaboration is completed, the concept-map can be distributed electronically toevery Tablet for further expansion. The facility with which the Tablet supported thiskind of collaboration was deeply appreciated by one teacher, “The ability to creategraphic organization to demonstrate higher order thinking, and then discuss it—thatis a great thing that the technology has made available.” [19] With instructor and13

student Tablets, each member of the class can construct a digital notebook thatincludes pieces of work from other students and the instructor as well as their ownwork. A small group of students (up to 3) could even work on a single Tablet withmultiple pens. When Tablets are shared during collaborative group work,

the idealnumber of group participant is three, simply to ensure clear sight of the screen for allparticipants. [9]

Student/Instructor Interaction

Interaction between student and instructor is vital to student learning. In a smallclass, such interaction may not be difficult to achieve, but the Tablet can make iteven easier. For example, with a Tablet, the instructor spends more time facing theclass and less time with his back to the class while writing on the board. The rightsoftware can enable the instructor to choose student answers based on the workrather than on a face or a hand. [2] One instructor commented that the lack of avertical computer screen eliminated a barrier between the student and instructorthat is often experienced with laptops. [28]

Feedback Lag: Students doubtthe value of their question until the topicis closed, then perceive that it’s too late as the instructor has moved on

2)

Student Apprehension: Fear of speaking in front of a large group, fear ofbeing “wrong” in front of peers or the instructor

3)

Single-speaker paradigm: Only one person speaks at a time, this modeldoesn’t scale to large classes

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A Tablet PC, specifically equipped with Classroom Presenter software, can helpdiminish these barriers to student/instructor interaction. Students are able toanonymously submit their questions at any time and the instructor is free to addressthe question at the most opportune moment. When submissions are anonymous,student apprehension is greatly reduced. When questions or feedback are submittedvia the Tablet, there is no need to “take turns”. Instructors have identified somedrawbacks with this new anonymous, multi-speaker paradigm however. Aninstructor is not able to know if she is receiving many questions from one student, orone question from each of many students. It would be helpful for the instructor tobe able to identify subsequent questions from a single student so as to put thequestion (and hence, the answer) into context. Also, it can be a bit flustering to bean instructor who is being bombarded with digital questions. [2]

Conclusion and Future Research Possibilities

Because the Tablet PC is so new to education, there hasn’t been the opportunity toconduct much large scale, quantitative analysis of the impact and benefit of thistechnology. Certainly, more has been done at the university level than at the pre-college level, but the possibilities for future research at both levels are many!Specifically, there is evidence that the integration of Tablet PCs increases studentengagement and student/instructor interaction. This review has shown that Tabletsmay have a positive effect on the efficiency, frequency, and effectiveness offeedback in the classroom. There is also some indication that Tablets may supportcollaborative and active learningin new ways.

It would be very valuable to educators to have some solid data that links the impactof Tablet PCs on student achievement. Does this increase in student/instructor15

interaction correlate with student achievement? Can this improved environment forfeedback translate to higher test scores? More research should be done to explorethe links between student/instructor interaction, feedback and achievement and howthe Tablet PC might play a significant role in that formula. Educators have onlyjustbegun figuring out how to implement this new technology into their learningenvironments. Soon, many will have worked out the inevitable kinks in instructionthat arise when new technology is introduced. Instructors will then have reached alevel ofcomfort and facility that will make it possible to conduct larger, morecontrolled studies of the impact these machines are having on teaching and learning.